Describe the relationship of Santiago and Manolin.

Describe the relationship of Santiago and Manolin.

 

Manolin, the young disciple has been introduced in the very beginning of the novel as one having great love for his master, Santiago. However, we are told that the boy has been compelled to forsake the'old man and abandon his skiff on the account of Santiago's ever-mounting crisis. Santiago, the old man, remains without fish for. a long time and thereby the
parents of Manolin enroll him In a "lucky boat. The old man  going without fish becomes "Salao" and eventually his boat an “unlucky boat. The relationship between old man and the boy marks the two-faceted reality of human relationship i.e.. 

(a) one of youth and age, and 

(b) that of master-disciple.
However, the decision forced on the boy by his parents shows the impatient nature of human beings and their selfishness towards the unlucky and lowly. The boy naturally has sympathy for the old but determined Santiago. Nevertheless, he is not all owed despite his greatest desire to reioin him. 

This restriction does certainly not keep him from visiting old man. He not only serves the old man, but also takes care of all his major businesses. The boy appears to be a semblance of the disciples of Jesus Christ in the novel. He is fully devoted to the cause and personality of Santiago. Moreover, he respects the old man's ideas and appreciates his  youth-like aptitude for baseball
Manolin is indeed an equal of the old man in some ways.
We see the peak of this encouragement bond in the end when the old man is beaten by the sharks and he laments, saying: “I am not lucky. I am not lucky anymore.* The boy immediately rejoins him answering in art encouraging as well as healing tone:-“The hell with luck, I'll bring the luck with me. The old man fully understands the nature of this relationship and gives it great value. .
Only one utterance of old man, namely, “I missed you (Manolin)”, is sufficient to make us believe how greatly the old man is associated with the boy. The boy has a firm belief that there is only one great fisherman, Santiago. He can be seen crying in the end when the old man returns despaired and injured. Manolin cannot stand the sight of his state and he runs out of his shack'to get him coffee and eatables.
His decisions to rejoin the old man without caring for his parents shows his deep affection for the old man. Santiago, on the other hand, finds in Manolin the incarnation of his youth and skill. He is his family and his disciple simultaneously. We can, therefore, conclude on solid grounds that Manolin is not only an apprentice of the old man, but also his trusted friend and, in  some ways, his equal.